Cabot Cliffs is far and away the most outstanding golf course I have ever played. Designed by the contemporary team of Bill Coore and retired PGA professional Ben Crenshaw, it runs right along the oceanside cliffs of Inverness, offering spectacular views as well as unbelievably intriguing links golf. For the uninitiated reader, “links” golf replicates the courses played in Scotland, where the game was born. Played on the wastelands beside the ocean there, on land too sandy to support agriculture, golf’s founders used the dunes and the sands to provide contour and interest and challenge; the Old Course at St. Andrews is probably the best-known example of links golf in the world. Coore and Crenshaw did a brilliant job here in Inverness, fitting in the holes so expertly across the dune grass that they look like they were always there. And the scenery, of course, is spectacular, making Cabot Cliffs Canada’s premier golf course — and I can certainly see why.

Our round cost about $200US, way more than I would normally spend on one round of golf, but I have to say that it was worth it; we intended this course to be the one “splurge” on our trip, and I’m really glad we spent it. And this was the late-afternoon rate, by the way — the full rate is almost double that. But, again, I have to say that it would be worth it; not only is it a spectacular course, but it is in spectacular condition — the fairways are absolute carpets, melting so gradually into the greens that one can often not tell where the fairway ends and the green begins. This, by the way, makes it possible to putt from enormous distances, fifty yards or more — this is another distinguishing characteristic of links golf, as approaches to the green are often best played along the ground (something I rarely can do back home).

To me, the most fun courses are those which make you think: which path should I take to the hole? If I go left (for example), I have more space to land a tee shot, but a more difficult approach shot to the hole; but if I go right, the opposite is true. So which path do I take? Coore and Crenshaw give you such decision-making opportunities all over the course.

Enormously deep pot bunkers (sand traps), like the ones appearing to the left and right in the photo above, are strategically placed to test your accuracy, both off the tee and on the approaches to the greens. I holed out from a bunker much like the one in the photo below left, to my recollection the first time that’s happened in my golfing career.

We were extremely fortunate in that, having teed off behind two foursomes, we were caught from behind by a couple who spend their summers caddying at Cabot Cliffs. Fountains of course knowledge, they graciously provided us with expert tips on how to play each hole; Loretta and Al (fine golfers in their own right) added immeasurably to our enjoyment and success, giving us the benefit of having caddies but without paying the additional $90 plus tips.

Unfortunately, because we paid a reduced rate, we started later in the afternoon, and by the time we reached the fifteenth hole, the sun was beginning to set. We hurried to finish the round before dark, but — alas! — nightfall overtook us on the seventeenth green.

Above is the approach shot to the sixteenth green, played over a chasm cut into the face of the cliffs by the ocean below. Below is a view looking along the cliffs to the eighteenth hole. Note how your tee shot must carry the ocean to find the fairway beyond, an echo of the famous eighteenth hole at Pebble Beach in California.

All in all, an unforgettable day of golf in one of the world’s bucket-list golf destinations; a place which I believe every serious golfer should make the effort to play, and an experience which I will always cherish. Cabot Cliffs alone makes the long drive up here worthwhile.